Traditional Irish Soda Bread Recipe: How to Make Easy Homemade Soda Bread

Soda bread is a type of quick bread traditionally made with flour, baking soda, salt, and sour milk or buttermilk. The “soda” in the name comes from the baking soda used to leaven the bread unlike yeast breads which are made with dry yeast or fermented bread starters. Soda bread is an everyday table bread enjoyed in Ireland and is made with whole-meal flour, resulting in a tender, dense bread with a golden brown crust. The American version of soda bread is a white, subtly sweet, almost cake-like bread made with all-purpose flour.

1. 1. Buttermilk: Buttermilk is added to soda bread dough because it reacts with baking soda to provide the bread's leavening. It also adds a depth of flavor to the bread.
2. 2. Eggs: Eggs also work as leavening agents to help the dough rise. The fats from the yolk help to tenderize the crumb and lighten the texture.
3. 3. All-Purpose Flour or Whole Wheat Flour: Traditional Irish soda bread consists of Irish wholemeal flour similar to whole-wheat flour, resulting in a brown, dense bread. The American version is white, sweetened, and made with all-purpose flour.
4. 4. Brown Sugar: White or brown sugar can be used to add sweetness to the bread and aids in caramelization of the crust. For a moist and chewy bread, use brown sugar instead of white.
5. 5. Baking Soda and Baking Powder: Both baking powder and baking soda are chemical leavening agents that cause batters to rise when baked. The leavener enlarges bubbles in the batter produced during the creaming of ingredients. When a recipe contains both baking powder and baking soda, baking powder does most of the work leavening the bread.
6. 6. Salt: Salt isn't added only as a seasoning in baking, it's added to enhance the browning, flavors, and the texture of your bread.
7. 7. Unsalted Butter: Using unsalted butter in baking helps you to control the amount of salt that goes into the recipe. If you're baking a recipe that calls for unsalted butter and you only have salted, you can eliminate the added salt in the recipe and still have successful results.

1. 1. Don’t overwork the dough: Soda bread dough doesn’t need to be kneaded or overworked. Work with it gently, it’s supposed to be slightly shaggy in texture.
2. 2. Use a cast-iron skillet: A cast-iron skillet works best to give the bread a crisp crust on the bottom, and prevent the bread from spreading too much, but a baking sheet also works.
3. 3. Score the Cross: Using a sharp knife, score the top of the dough with a cross before baking to help steam escape the bread from the center of the dough.
4. 4. Add raisins for a twist: Traditionally, the Irish do not add raisins to their bread, the inclusion of raisins (and sometimes caraway seeds, too) is an Irish-American variation. For the best results, add raisins or other dried fruit once the dough has already formed.

1. 1. As a table bread: Keep the bread slices warm in a bread basket and let guests help themselves. Make sure slices are cut at least a ¼-inch thick to keep the bread from crumbling apart.
2. 2. Spread with butter: Enjoy soda bread with room temperature European butter and flakey sea salt.
3. 3. Serve with marmalade. Soda bread has a heartiness that pairs wonderfully with tart orange marmalade.
4. 4. Serve a slice with a stew. The dense texture of soda bread goes well with beef or vegetables stews. A slice of bread is perfect for soaking up liquid as you eat.
5. 5. Make a sandwich. Soda bread has a neutral flavor that makes for a great sandwich bread. Try using it to make a classic Reuben sandwich—top it with swiss cheese, corned beef, thousand island dressing, and tangy sauerkraut.
6. 6. With corned beef and cabbage. Show some Irish pride and serve slices of soda bread alongside homemade corned beef, cabbage, and a glass of Guiness beer.